Chapter 32: Chapter 32: The Hunt

Chu Lingguang didn’t have a moment to get a better look.

The Little Red Horse was so terrified it tried to throw him and flee. He could only scramble onto its back as quickly as possible and try to escape.

“ROAR!”

But the black shadow behind him let out another thunderous roar.

The Little Red Horse trembled in fear, seemingly forgetting how to even move its hooves. Chu Lingguang struck it a few times with his whip, but the horse simply turned, knelt toward the black shadow, and began foaming at the mouth. It was impossible to tell if the roar had injured it or if it had simply been scared out of its wits.

Chu Lingguang had never encountered a situation like this.

He pulled and tugged with all his might, trying to get the Little Red Horse to stand up and run. This was the warhorse Guo Wei had bought him to train in Mounted Archery and with the Lance.

If the Little Red Horse was eaten by the black shadow, how would he practice Mounted Archery and his Lance skills in the future? How would he explain this to Guo Wei when he got back?

’If you won’t go, I will.’

Chu Lingguang couldn’t get the Little Red Horse to stand and run no matter how hard he tried. Frustrated, he had no choice but to take off on foot. Even if he couldn’t practice Mounted Archery or the Lance, even if he failed the Daoist Examination, he couldn’t just stay here and wait to die with his horse.

At worst, he’d go back and get an earful from Guo Wei, and he’d just have to serve him for a few more years to make up for it.

“Don’t run! Shoot it in the eyes.”

But just then, the rough-looking man being chased by the black shadow shouted out.

He wielded a large saber, using the trees and bushes to dodge the black shadow’s claws while unleashing a unique Saber Technique, striking at its body.

Only now did Chu Lingguang get a clear look. The black shadow was actually a Black Panther over three meters long. With a single swipe of its paw, it could shatter a bush as thick as a man’s thigh.

The man and the panther were locked in a standoff.

They exchanged blows.

The rough-looking man was at a clear disadvantage. If not for the trees and bushes impeding the Black Panther’s speed, his Saber Technique would have been no match for it at all.

“SCREECH!”

He swung his saber, and a clear Sword Sound rang out. Chu Lingguang was startled. ’This man is at least as strong as Guo Wei, and even he can’t stop this Black Panther.’

’Staying here would be suicide!’

So he ran even faster.

“You think you can outrun it?”

The rough-looking man roared.

The Sword Cry grew stronger.

CLANG!

The Black Panther’s claws slammed against the large saber. The blade’s edge left a gash on its paw, making it even more furious and frenzied as it relentlessly attacked the man.

Chu Lingguang glanced back and saw the rough-looking man had been backed into a corner. He probably wouldn’t last more than a few breaths before the Black Panther swatted him to death.

’If the Black Panther comes after me then, I’ll never make it out of this forest.’

Looking again at the Little Red Horse, still kneeling on the ground and foaming at the mouth, Chu Lingguang knew he had to take a gamble. He quickly drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and, following the man’s advice, shot at the Black Panther’s eyes.

“PFFT!”

The arrow didn’t miss.

But it hit the rough-looking man in the ass.

“SCREECH.”

Wielding his saber with both hands, the man executed a wondrous Saber Technique and nearly sliced the Black Panther’s head. The panther retreated to dodge. The man then chopped off the arrow shaft sticking out of his butt and roared, “I almost had it!”

“SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!”

Chu Lingguang said nothing, loosing three consecutive arrows at the Black Panther. He had seen it preparing a sneak attack on the rough-looking man.

All three arrows missed, but they successfully stopped the Black Panther’s surprise attack, buying the man a moment to breathe.

But as he watched the missed arrow shafts fall, a chill went down the man’s spine. ’This kid is useless,’ he thought. ’Looks like we’re both going to die here today.’

“ROAR!”

The Black Panther roared at Chu Lingguang.

The cry struck right at his soul.

Chu Lingguang’s heart trembled. He was certain that if his Qi Blood hadn’t improved so much recently, the Black Panther’s furious roar would have scared him witless, let alone allowed him to draw his bow on it.

“ROAR!”

Suddenly, the Black Panther lunged toward Chu Lingguang.

The hairs on Chu Lingguang’s arms stood on end.

The sheer force of the Black Panther’s charge felt like a primeval beast driving him to his doom. He had no idea why it had abandoned the rough-looking man and was now rushing at him.

But at this moment, the only thing Chu Lingguang could do was empty his quiver. If he turned to run, even on the Little Red Horse, the Black Panther would catch him in a matter of breaths.

Only by hindering the Black Panther’s approach with arrow shafts, and creating an opportunity for the rough-looking man, could the two of them survive.

“SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!”

In that moment, it was as if Chu Lingguang was back at the archery range.

He stared at the Black Panther’s form, continuously drawing his bow and nocking arrows, aiming for its eyes.

However, the Black Panther was agile, moving through the jungle as if on flat ground. Chu Lingguang couldn’t even hit its body, let alone its eyes.

“HUFF!”

Chu Lingguang panted heavily.

A chill rose within him as he watched arrow after arrow miss its mark.

He drew his bow and nocked another arrow.

This time, Chu Lingguang didn’t shoot right away. He watched the approaching Black Panther and suddenly realized its pupils were dilating, eventually seeming as large as washbasins.

“WHOOSH!”

Chu Lingguang sucked in a cold breath. He felt his own blood vessels expanding along with the bowstring.

“SWOOSH!”

He loosed the arrow.

“PFFT!”

The Black Panther collapsed ten meters away.

A long arrow had struck its right eye, and its body crashed into a pile of rocks.

“SCREECH!”

The rough-looking man leaped forward, swinging his saber at the Black Panther’s midsection. He had never expected Chu Lingguang to actually hit the panther’s eye, winning him a chance at survival.

The Black Panther sensed the danger. It rolled to one side and swiped its right forepaw into the air, trying to block the man’s fatal strike.

“PFFT!”

But just as it raised its paw, the shadow of an arrow pierced through it, causing its claws to miss the man’s saber.

“SQUELCH!”

The man’s large saber successfully struck the Black Panther’s abdomen. The blade was sharp enough to cut through iron like mud, even slicing through the panther’s claws. Blood gushed from the wound, and as the beast tried to rise, a large mass of intestines spilled out.

It was finished.

Chu Lingguang then fired two more arrows into its vitals, helping the rough-looking man sever the Black Panther’s head with a single blow.

Watching the panther’s head roll away, Chu Lingguang leaned against a large tree and sat on the ground, gasping for breath. The rough-looking man, meanwhile, was sprawled over a rock, also panting. With the arrow still stuck in his ass, he couldn’t sit down to rest.

’Hundred-step Piercing Willow… my Archery has finally broken through.’

Guo Wei had once told him that when the target he wanted to hit started to seem larger, it meant his Archery had reached the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow. With enough practice, he would be able to achieve an A Class result in the three Archery trials.

The three trials were target shooting, foot archery, and Mounted Archery.

He glanced at his status panel.

Basic Archery Skill (31/100)

Sure enough, he saw that his Basic Archery Skill had been recorded, and it now had a value of 31 points.

“THUD!”

Just then, the rough-looking man threw a large, bloody, rod-shaped piece of flesh over to him.

“You saved my life. I’m giving you the most nourishing part of this beast. Take it home, cook it up, and it’ll do a great job of replenishing your Qi Blood.”

The rough-looking man said.

Chu Lingguang finally understood what it was. A Leopard Whip was indeed a superior medicinal food for replenishing Qi Blood.

“Cut off the four legs for me, too. I’ll take them back for my master.”

But Chu Lingguang felt that one leg was far from enough.

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